Lodge Manager / General Manager
Visa sponsorship
Hospitality · Invercargill, New Zealand · Full-Time · Discussed at interview · Visa: Employer sponsored
A serious role for a serious hospitality leader. A boutique luxury lodge next to a national park, in New Zealand's far south, is hiring a Lodge Manager / General Manager to take charge of everything.
Here are the facts. Restoration is complete and the doors reopen on 1 December 2026. Stock at opening is ten suites, two log cabins and a four-bedroom house booked by one group at a time. Nine more suites follow in October 2027. The land covers about 32 hectares.
You lead from the front. Greet arrivals, pour drinks at the fireside and keep dinner service sharp, then take control of the money, the staff schedule and the land. You make the calls and deal directly with the owners.
Applicants from New Zealand, Australia and other countries are welcome. The owners will consider visa sponsorship for the right candidate.
Back your application with an English CV that proves results: revenue and profit you managed, teams you led, properties you opened or refurbished. Build a results-driven management CV on Build AI CV and apply with confidence.
Key Responsibilities
- Receive guests yourself and give them real time during their visit
- Control the visit from start to end: before arrival, meals, guided excursions, the exclusive-use house and check-out
- Fix service standards, enforce them and step in with staff whenever needed
- Drive how guests feel and how the team serves, from welcome to send-off
- Deliver nine new suites and fold them into operations as room count moves from 12 keys to 21
- Build the kitchen and bar offer with the Lodge Head Chef
- Command a multi-skilled team of about eighteen at reopening
- Direct the Housekeeping Manager, Maintenance & Grounds Supervisor, Executive Chef, Lodge Host and Assistant Lodge Manager
- Hire, train, schedule and grow staff who perform year-round
- Answer for the infrastructure, the lodge, staff quarters, native bush, cabins, vehicles, the exclusive-use house, driveways and grounds
- Hold maintenance and grounds staff to a yearly estate plan for preventive repairs, presentation and compliance
- Own the yearly operating plan and bottom line; push occupancy, average rate, guest spending and repeat and direct bookings with reservations and finance
- Track trading every week and brief the directors every month
Requirements & Eligibility
- Senior luxury hospitality leadership, ideally as Lodge Manager, General Manager or head of operations
- Strong leadership in front of guests and a true love of personal service
- Proven financial and commercial control of budgets, forecasts and operating profit
- Experience heading teams from several hospitality departments, and clear communication in writing and speech
- Judgement to lead alone at a remote location when the road is shut or the weather goes bad
- A Manager's Certificate, or eligibility to obtain one before certificated duties
- A clean, full driver licence
- Highly regarded: managing a luxury lodge, boutique hotel or exclusive-use property; a hotel opening, refurbishment or major development; knowledge of luxury tourism in New Zealand; grounds, facilities and infrastructure work at a remote site
- Must already hold the legal right to work in New Zealand, or be able to obtain it
Apply: Apply by email · WhatsApp
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